SHARK ANGLING CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN

CLUB HISTORY The Shark Angling Club of Great Britain (SACGB) was formed in Looe, Cornwall in 1953 by the late Brigadier J. L. Caunter CBE MC and quickly became established as the top venue for angling for Sharks on rod and line in the UK. It has a worldwide membership. The main purpose of the SACGB is to promote the sport of Shark Angling with a mind to conservation, in Great Britain and provide the Members with an organisation which is regarded as the central authority in Great Britain for this sport. Also to maintain and publish annually records of all Sharks estimated or weighing 45.45kgs (100lbs) or over caught by Members from boats operating from the British Isles and by Members fishing from foreign ports.

In the early days a great many Sharks were caught and holiday makers flocked to the quayside in Looe each evening, to see the Sharks being weighed. Membership to the SACGB is exclusive and to qualify for membership you have to have caught a shark.
In the early days Sharks had to weigh 75lbs (34.1kg) or more hence the need for Sharks to be weighed each evening. However, since 1994 it has been the Clubs Policy that Sharks should be measured instead of weighed and released unharmed back to the sea.
To date for Full Membership to the SACGB the qualifying measurement for a Blue Shark is 7ft (213cm) or more from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. For Portbeagle, Mako and Thresher Shark it is 4ft 6ins (137cm) from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail.
The Club also offers Associate membership for anglers catching sharks under the qualifying size for Full Membership. CONSERVATION Since 1998 the SACGB has operatated a tag and release programme whereby the Sharks are tagged before being returned to the sea.
The programme has provided the Club with valuable information as to the migration route the Sharks take in the Atlantic Ocean, how far they travel and their growth rate and the information has and is being used in the conservation of Sharks. When a tagged Shark is recaptured, usually by commercial fishermen, the tag is returned to the Club and the returnee receives a 15 dollar reward. This has proved very successful and helps with the conservation of Sharks worldwide.

SHARK ANGLING CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN
Middleton's Corner, the Quay, East Looe, Cornwall PL13 1AH

Tel: 01503 262642    e-mail:lindareynolds@sacgb.freeserve.co.uk